Jason Holleman pulls out of race for Douglas Henry's state Senate seat

Nov. 27, 2013

Jason Holleman

Written by

Michael Cass

The Tennessean

Metro Councilman Jason Holleman announced Wednesday that he’s dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination for a state Senate seat.

The campaign has “given me the opportunity to take stock, to understand the demands that would be placed on me as senator and to recognize that those demands, while necessary for the progress of the state, would be shared by my children and family,” Holleman wrote in an email to supporters.

“The campaign has shown me, too, that in order to lead the rest of Tennessee, Nashville must first model the kind of collaboration and results-driven leadership that would necessarily be undermined by a contentious, contested primary. The conclusion is clear: my best contribution, right now, is to serve at the local level, focusing on my important work as a Metro Councilman and my essential work as Cecilia and Walter’s dad.”

Holleman, an attorney and second-term councilman representing the Sylvan Park area, had been expected to compete with political activist Mary Mancini and attorney Jeff Yarbro for the Democratic nomination to succeed longtime state Sen. Douglas Henry in Senate District 21. Henry, a Democrat who was first elected to the seat in 1970, plans to retire.

Holleman was a neighborhood activist before he was elected to the council in 2007. His council term ends in 2015.

“Much has been given to me, and much expected, and I plan to honor that by helping to make Nashville the strongest community in the nation: a city that reflects in its legislative policy the welcoming, creative, sustainable vision of this city that is so abundant in the individual neighborhoods that comprise it,” he wrote.

Contact Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com. Ask him a question on Twitter @tnmetro.